1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a carrier for carrying elongate materials of varying lengths, and more particularly to a rooftop or roof-mounted container for service vans or other vehicles, the container being designed to carry elongate materials (such as PVC pipe) of varying lengths.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various containers for carrying elongate materials already exist in the art. However, such containers are burdened by several disadvantages. A primary disadvantage of containers of the prior art resides in the fact that such containers do not provide both protection from the elements and theft and easy access to the materials stored in the containers. Moreover, many containers which do provide access to the materials stored in the container do not provide ready access to shorter materials stored in the container.
A further disadvantage of some containers of the prior art relates to the fact that such containers are not able to be mounted on the top of a vehicle, and thus such containers cannot be used by service vans and the like. Furthermore, many containers of the prior art do not provide, within the interior of the container, separate compartments for storage of elongate materials of various lengths or types.
The following patents disclose various containers considered to be representative of the prior art relative to this invention: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,517,186; 3,071,283; 3,406,930; 3,768,611; and 4,953,773.